SMEs and Creativity

What is creativity?

Around 30,000 years ago the first man painted on the wall of his cave and began to think about  more than food, shelter and procreation and we became a creative species. Each of us has the power to create (and conversely to destroy) our own lives and profoundly influence the world around us, but only a few of us put this gift to proper use.

In our drive to be productive we often squeeze creativity out of our lives in favour of efficiency, although this approach is rarely fulfilling and ultimately not sustainable. We are taught that creativity is the domain of artists, writers, musicians and entrepreneurs and that if we show no great talent in these areas, we should not even try. This is untrue, we are all creative.  Creativity is exercised in many domains, with varying results, but the process is more or less the same. More importantly, the process matters over and above the results.  Learn the process and we can all be creative.

Creativity is essentially the discovery of novelty out of the ordinary, mostly by changing the way we look at things to find new patterns and connections. Rediscovering our capacity for creativity is one way to reenergize ourselves and find new levels of satisfaction in our lives and our interactions with others.

The three realms of creativity

1. Domain

Creativity comes to those who have mastered the symbols, rules and procedures of their particular area of expertise.

"The existence of domains is perhaps the best evidence of human creativity. The fact that calculus and Gregorian chants exist means that we can experience patterns of order that were not programmed into our genes by biological evolution. By learning the rules of a domain, we immediately step beyond the boundaries of biology and enter the realm of cultural evolution."  
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity

What is your field of expertise?  Some people experience a calling, or have a profound talent that makes selection easy. Many of us find our domains through our work experiences or leisure activities. We all have domains in which we have the potential for excellence and the primary obstacle to unleashing our creativity in these domains is the value judgment each of us makes about ourselves. It is entirely possible to be a creative chef without being Gordon Ramsey, just as it is to be a keen historian without being Simon Schama or a gifted musician who will never release a CD.

Identifying the domain in which to pursue creativity is an important stage in the process. It is possible to be creative in any domain, but we need to care about the subject enough to carry on when the going gets tough. There are characteristics of different domains that can be matched against age, aptitude and motivation, but the one thing that can't be omitted is passion. Once creative patterns of behaviour are established, creativity will naturally overspill into other domains resulting in higher levels of satisfaction, peace and happiness - from which wealth is more likely to follow.

Advizory offers coaching and support to help individuals find their domain of creativity, in career or leisure interests and to help develop the latent skill sets needed to be creative.

2. Field

Broadly speaking, the field is the group of peers, experts or evaluators who act as gatekeepers to the domain. They help us select which ideas are worth paying attention to. In essence, the creative person must convince the field that their innovation is valuable as there is strong competition for the attention needed for new ideas to become established.

The field will vary according to the domain, from work colleagues, to peer review boards, to clubs. It is important to understand the relationship between the domain and the field in order to act appropriately and ensure the successful development of an idea. Fields provide a valuable service to creativity in helping to develop and improve on initial ideas, as well as helping to ensure that good energy is not wasted in a bad idea.

Creativity is more than an individual activity, a proactive field or organisation plays an essential role in the creative process; creativity does not take place in a vacuum. Small businesses are generally alive with latent creative potential, waiting to be discovered and put to good use.

Advizory can help you discover the creative potential in your business and set some simple processes in place to create the kind of environment in which ideas flow and are properly evaluated. This will raise any business out of the doldrums, or turn a good performer into a market leader. For a confidential, no obligation chat about your business contact Yolanda on 020 8765 1616 or yolanda(at)advizory.com

3. Individual

There are many theories about the 'creative personality' and a number of tools to test and assess personalities for creativity and related attributes. These are most useful in helping to identify areas on which to focus development, but should be used with caution as it is too easy to find that an individual is not creative according to a test, which can be as disheartening as it is untrue.

As a generalization, creative people tend to be regarded as complex personalities and are able to sustain a level of paradox necessary for an enquiring mind. There is an underlying balance in play that although intuitive for most creative types, can be learned by anyone.

The creative process from an individual perspective is often divided into four types of activity. Once started the process is more ebb and flow than linear, pulling back to revisit earlier activities as new insight develops and surging forward to re-evaluate. These are essentially life-skills that, once learned, will always be there to be called upon in any situation to help create a fulfilled, peaceful and successful life.

Advizory offers support and training in the four main areas of individual creative development as listed below. For a confidential, no obligation conversation about your business or individual needs contact Yolanda on 020 8765 1616 or yolanda(at)advizory.com.

Preparation

  • The process of gaining domain expertise
  • Authenticity
  • Enquiry and paradox
  • Body work
  • Analysis of problems and opportunities
  • Incubation & insight

Relaxation/meditation

  • Movement of ideas from unconscious to conscious mind
  • Right-brain thinking

Validation

  • Meaning and purpose
  • Team-working
  • Communication
  • Presentation
  • Re-evaluation

Activation

  • Action plan
  • Implementation
  • Measurement
  • Rewards